Work is due to start in early September on landscaping ‘Woodmill Bay’ in Riverside Park, currently used as an informal boat launching and car parking area, to include seating overlooking the river.

 

 

The area has for many years been used as a makeshift car park, particularly by those launching small craft such as paddle boards and kayaks.

But the car park is difficult to access off Woodmill Lane. And while the gate to Riverside Park has been used for approved vehicles, such as the ice cream van and funfair trucks, it’s also been the point of entry for unauthorised encampments – the latest being on August 21.

 The makeshift car park at Woodmill

Plans for the revamped area suggest the gate will be moved to face directly onto Woodmill Lane.

When the idea of “improving the amenity value” of the area surfaced in 2022, various concerns were raised, notably river access and a reduction in parking spaces – although the official Woodmill car park is just over the road.

 The current gate from the unofficial car park into Riverside Park itself has been sealed off following the latest unauthorised encampment in August

It’s unclear whether the latest plans will restrict river access for those launching craft - beyond having to park a little further away - although it appears from plans that they won’t

One kayaker we spoke to who was getting out of the water with his boat to change from his wetsuit at his vehicle on Friday (Aug 29), said he’d been using the area for 50 years. He said many people travel to use the shore from further afield, but if they couldn’t launch from there it would be “detrimental to myself and others not to be able to use this spot”.

They’d have to either use a public hard such as St Denys, some distance downriver, or launch elsewhere from the riverbank, he added.